INDUSTRY IN Coffee County is continually growing and improving. Most recently this growth has been shown in Manchester’s own industrial park, by the plan to establish a new distribution center for the largest food industry redistributor in North America – Dot Foods, Inc. The site will include dry, refrigerated, and frozen warehouse space and is expected to create more than 170 jobs for the community, according to the press release distributed on April 5.
“Our community represents a great logistical advantage for a number of sectors, and this is one where logistics, quality of life, and quality of workforce were the key drivers for them to consider,” executive director of the Coffee County Industrial Board Stephen Crook said. “With that, we rose to the top.”
CEO of Dot Foods, Inc. Joe Tracy said in the press release that Dot Foods, Inc. first called Tennessee home in the 1980s and early 1990s, and that the company has loved being back in the state since they opened their facility in Dyersburg in 2015. Tracy said they are excited to open the new Manchester location.
“The most critical factor in continuing our business’ history of growth is talent,” Tracy said. “We know Coffee County and the surrounding region have a lot of it to offer. We look forward to joining this community and growing our Dot Foods and Dot Transportationfamily.”
The company hopes to break ground on the new distribution center late this summer and begin operations in late 2023, investing 50.5 million dollars into the project. Crook said that Dot Foods, Inc. is going to be a natural fit in the community and fill a gap in the county’s logistic employment sector as well as create jobs in other industries.
“This is a great company that’s still family owned,” Crook said. “You go back generation after generation – they stay very plugged in.”
The industrial board has been fielding calls from businesses hoping to work with Dot Foods, Inc., as well as people seeking employment opportunities. Crook said the industrial board will be working with the chamber of commerce to get anyone who can work with Dot Foods, Inc. on the company’s radar.
Crook said that Dot Foods, Inc. is very community- minded and wants to take an active role in workforce development and education, and that he is pleased to have the company consider the Manchester community. Mayor of Manchester Marilyn Howard said as much, in the April 5 press release.
“The vision Dot Foods shared for contributing to workforce development in our area, is a big part of what makes this announcement so special,” Howard said. “We thank Dot Foods and their entire leadership team for their investment in Manchester and wish them tremendous success.”
The Manchester Industrial Park, a Select Tennessee Certified Site, will be allocating 177,000 square feet to the plant, with the capacity to expand in order to meet Dot Foods, Inc.’s growing customer demand across the Southeast. Manchester is ready and able to welcome them.
“I think it’s a great indication of the strength of our economy, the strength of our community, and the quality of our assets,” Crook said. “I look forward to the impact that they’re going to have.” -GN
